David Cunliffe Mum on SkyCity Deal and MP's Pay

At his
weekly pre-caucus press conference David Cunliffe refused to
say whether he would axe a deal for Sky City to get more
pokie machines if Labour was elected to govern next year. He
also declined to give his opinion on MP pay rises, and
chastised John Key for commenting on the deliberations of
the independent Remuneration Authority. Mr Key said
yesterday that any pay increases should only be in line with
inflation.

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Mr
Cunliffe refused to be drawn on details of any Labour
changes to a deal struck by John Key for SkyCity Casino to
build a convention centre in Auckland in exchange for an
increase in pokie machines deal.

Labour would not
“incinerate” the SkyCity contract but he reserved the
right for “a future parliament to address issues of
gambling harm”.

He said is was the right of every
parliament to make sovereign legislation as required.

“We will take a principled and rational approach but we
won't fetter a future parliament.”

It was not
appropriate to seconded guess a commercial contract in
relation to regulation issues which had not yet arisen, Mr
Cunliffe said.

He said neither he nor his MPs had met
with Sky City to give a commitment about the deal.

Mr
Cunliffe also refused to give his opinion on whether MP's
should be given a pay rise, saying the decision was up to
the independent Remuneration Authority.

“It is not a
matter for me to have an opinion on.”

Yesterday John Key
said he did not think MP's should get any increase in pay
above the rate of inflation.

Mr Cunliffe said Mr Key was
playing “cheap politics” and was only saying what he
thought the public wanted to hear.

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